Someone Like You
by d-kronk
Summary: It's Catherine's birthday and Gil decides to surprise her. I tried to finish this in time for her actual birthday, according to the official site, but missed it by a day GC


Title: Someone Like You

Author: Angie

Email: hill@grics.net

Rating: PG

Disclaimers: CSI Crime Scene Investigation does not belong to me, they are the property of CBS, Alliance Atlantis, Jerry Bruckheimer and the wonderful actors who portray them. The song "Someone Like You" is by Van Morrison on the album Poetic Champions Compose.

Author's Notes: This fic is completely different then anything I usually write. It's fluff, which I find extremely difficult to write. And I used a different writing style as well, so please let me know if this is any good… or if I should just give up on fluff. Thanks to Lauri for betaing this for me. Please see the end for a couple more notes.

Spoilers: nothing 

Distribution: The GraveshiftCSI Homepage, ShipperWorldCSI… all others please ask.

*~*~*~*~*

I don't know why I had never noticed it before. Or what finally made me open my eyes and see what was right in front of me. Maybe it was all of the changes lately. Both of our lives went through a one hundred and eighty degree tailspin this year. And as much as we push each other away, we also hold on for dear life.

Her birthday was coming up. I know most people don't think I notice these little things, but I do. I just don't advertise the fact that I notice. Catherine is a smart woman, she has to know that I notice these things. She's never had to ask for Lindsey's birthday off, I make sure it's built into her schedule. I always try to give her her own birthday off, contingent on if anyone else has asked for vacation time. But this year I had other plans.

*~*~*~*~*

I've been searching a long time  
For someone exactly like you  
I've been traveling all around the world  
Waiting for you to come through.  
Someone like you makes it  
All worth while  


*~*~*~*~*

Maybe I never noticed the attraction before because it had always been there. We were young the first time we met. I was giving a guest lecture at Western LVU when I saw her sitting in the room. The attraction was instantaneous, at least for me. As my eyes traveled her body I noticed the ring on her left hand. 

She came up to me after the lecture, and I couldn't help but ask her if she would like to go to dinner and talk a bit more. I'm sure the shock on my face was noticeable when she agreed, but she didn't say anything about it, at least not at that time. We headed to a local diner and spent the next few hours talking about anything and everything. The more I talked to her the more disappointed I had become, I knew nothing would come by way of a relationship. I would never break up a marriage, but I was reluctant to let her out of my life that easy. So instead I took the only option I was left, and we began a friendship that quickly became the longest relationship I've ever had.

*~*~*~*~*

  
Someone like you keeps  
Me satisfied. Someone exactly  
Like you.   


*~*~*~*~*

So many things had changed between us in the last few years, I've barely had time to even think about it. Catherine went from being a married mother of one, in a not so great marriage, to a single working mother. I went from being Gil Grissom, CSI 3 to Gil Grissom, head of night shift. And I went from a life of science to a life of paperwork and politics, neither of which I'm very good at. This also caused me to give up what personal time I did have. 

I tried to date once in a while, but it rarely worked out. Most women aren't very understanding when you get paged and called away from your date on pretty much a nightly basis. And honestly, I had yet to go out with a women that had made me want to turn my cell phone and beeper off for the evening. 

It seemed the longer I was Catherine's boss the more things became strained between us. I don't think it's just the fact that I'm her boss though. I still feel guilty about not telling her about Eddie, and as much as she says she's forgiven me, I'm not entirely sure she has. 

And now I'm keeping more secrets from her. I don't know which one I should reveal first though, my feelings or my hearing. But I can't keep hiding both of my secrets from her, it's causing a strain and anxiety in our relationship that has never been there before. And it's something that I absolutely can not stand. Hopefully after tonight, I can get our relationship will be back on the right track.

*~*~*~*~*

  
I've been travellin' a hard road  
Lookin' for someone exactly like you  
I've been carryin' my heavy load  
Waiting for the light to come  
Shining through.  
*~*~*~*~*

My plan was simple, at least I thought it was, as long as no one interfered. I made my way down the hall to the break room, and was glad to see that everyone was already there, waiting for me.

"Nick, Sara, Warrick… you've got the 419A at Lake Mead. Catherine, your with me." I handed the case file to Warrick, who was sitting closest to the door, then turned and left the room.

Walking down the hall I heard my name being called and smiled as I stopped and turned around.

"Gris? What's our case? You didn't give me a file." Catherine rushed out as she caught up to Grissom.

"Well it's a slow night. So I thought you could help me out here at the lab, and if anything new comes in we can take that." I continued back on my mission towards my office, this time at a slower pace allowing Catherine to match her steps with mine.

"What do you have planned?"

I stopped in my tracks and turned to Catherine. 'How could she have figured out my plans for the evening?' "What are you talking about?" I spoke aloud.

"For tonight? What are we working on? You know how I feel about some of those experiments…"

"No experiments, I promise. There's some paperwork we can work on. And I thought maybe you could help me with some of the vacation schedules. You don't mind do you?"

"Not if it means my vacation gets approved." She replied with a dazzling smile.

We continued our walk back to my office. I walked around to my desk, while Catherine found her chair in front of the desk. She reached out and took a handful of folders and began reviewing them. After silently watching her for a minute, I followed her lead and took the next file on the desk.

*~*~*~*~*  
Someone like you makes it  
All worth while  
Someone like you keeps  
Me satisfied. Someone exactly  
Like you.   
*~*~*~*~*  


"Gil?"

I looked up at the sound of my name, and made eye contact with Catherine. I quickly diverted my gaze, not wanting to risk becoming lost in her eyes.

"Something wrong, Catherine?"

"No. Nothing's wrong. But…"

"Time for a break?" I questioned. We had been diligently working for about 3 hours now and although we had made a significant impact on the pile, there was still more paperwork to be completed. 

"Do you mind? This chair is definitely not that comfortable, and I could really use some caffeine… especially if we are going to keep this up the rest of the night."

I couldn't help the smile that appeared on my face. Everything seemed to be going exactly as I had planned. "I don't mind at all, Cath. Why don't we go ahead and grab something to eat. It's been pretty quiet, maybe we should take the opportunity while we have it." I rose from my chair and walked to Catherine, holding out a hand to help her from the chair. My fingers tingled as her hand grasped mine, and I strengthened the grip on her hand, not wanting the feeling to end to quickly. I continued holding her hand as we left my office and headed for the employee parking lot.

*~*~*~*~*

I've been doin' some soul searching  
To find out where you're at  
I've been up and down the highway  
In all kinds of foreign lands  
*~*~*~*~*  


The drive to the restaurant was quiet, not awkward at all, but reflective. I didn't tell Catherine where we were going, I'm sure she just assumed we were going to one of our regular places. I pulled into the parking lot of Pamplemousse.

"Gil! What are we doing here?"

"I just thought we could go somewhere different tonight."

"So you choose the most expensive restaurant in town? Gil, this places closes at 10, it's 11 now. What are we doing here."

"Don't worry Cath, they're expecting us." I said as I climbed out of the Tahoe and grabbed my jacket out of the back.

I walked around the vehicle and was intending on opening the door for Catherine, but she was already out of the car, and glaring at me.

"What do you mean they are expecting us?" 

I couldn't help smiling at the suspicion in her voice. "Just relax and enjoy."

"But Gil…"

I softly placed my index finger on her lips, which stilled them instantly. Leaving my finger where it was, I leaned in a tenderly kissed her cheek before whispering, "Happy Birthday, Cath." Pulling back, I looked into her eyes and moved my finger from her mouth. She made no attempt to speak, and my smile grew larger as I realized I had rendered her speechless. I reached for her hand and led her into the restaurant. 

*~*~*~*~*

Someone like you makes it  
All worth while  
Someone like you keeps  
Me satisfied.  
*~*~*~*~*  


I led Catherine to the table that was set up towards the back of the restaurant. Pulling her seat out, I waited for her to sit before moving to my own chair. I poured the house wine that had been left at the table for us, and waited for Catherine to pick up her glass before I did anything else.

"Gil, we can't have wine, we're still on the clock."

"Sure we can. I'm the boss, I can change the rules if I like." I stop and look at Catherine, and am not disappointed by the look of shock on her face. "We aren't on the clock Cath, I called Brass and told him we were taking off the rest of the night."

"But what if something comes up?"

"Then the others can handle it."

"But…"

"Are you taking over my role tonight?" At her confused expression I continue, "usually I'm the one worried about work. Why don't we just enjoy the rest of the evening? And if you are that worried about getting interrupted, you could turn off your phone and beeper."

"I think it's yours we need to be worried about. They'd try you before me."

"And they'd have a hard time with it. I told Brass I was going off the phone and beeper, and just to be sure I left them back in the office." I was definitely going to reveal something to Catherine tonight, and I was not taking any chances. Jim had said he wouldn't try and get in touch with me, but I knew if something came up he would try.

"You left your beeper and phone at the office?" At my nod, Catherine's face lit up with the most brilliant smile I've ever seen on her. She picked up the glass of wine and waited for me to do the same.

"To things yet to come," I said as I clinked my glass with hers. We both took a sip from our glass and set them down simultaneously. I placed my hand over hers and was just getting my thought in order when the waiter came to the table with the beginnings of our meal. 

*~*~*~*~*

I've been all around the world  
Marching to the beat of a different  
Drum.  
But just lately I have  
Realised  
The best is yet to come.  
*~*~*~*~*

"So how long, exactly have you had this planned Gil?"

I wasn't sure if I wanted to reveal the truth to her or not. I have known the owner of the restaurant longer than I've known Catherine. He had always told me when I met the right women to call him and he would set up the perfect evening for me, I'm sure he wondered if I'd ever call him. Then two weeks ago I did, and he knew exactly who I was bringing to dinner with me.

"Gil?"

"Sorry, just thinking." I guess I was quiet longer then I thought. "About two weeks now," I replied softly, might as well stick with the truth… or at least as close to it as I can. 

"Two weeks…" She said softly. "You thought all of this up two weeks ago." I could see the wheels turning in her mind as she tried to remember what happened two weeks earlier. "Why?"

This was the moment I had been waiting for, she was giving me the perfect opportunity to tell her everything I had been thinking. Moving my hand back to hers, I grasped it slightly, looking at how perfectly it fit within mine. "I wanted to do something special for your birthday. We had a few cases there that were just heart-breaking and I knew they were getting to you, even if you wouldn't admit it to anyone. You are so much like me in that sense. We both put on this front of how strong we are and…"

"Gil."

I stopped and diverted my attention from our clasped hands to her face.

"Your rambling. Please just say what you want to say."

I looked deep into her eyes and was startled by the depth of emotion I saw there. Perhaps she is feeling the same thing I am. "Catherine, I want tonight to be a beginning for us. You've been my best friend basically since the day I met you, and I would love to see where we can take this. I'm positive that it would be…"

"Gil?"

"Am I rambling again?"

My eyes widened as Catherine leaned closer to me. Her free hand moved up to my neck and I felt myself being pulled closer to her. My eyes closed and our lips made contact. We were tentative at first, I didn't want to overstep my boundaries and I'm sure she was feeling the same. As the kiss continued, we both began to explore the other, my hand released it's grip on Catherine's and I brought my arms around Catherine, trying to bring her as close to me as possible. I reluctantly pulled away, reminding myself that although the restaurant was closed we were not alone. 

"Cath… we can't do this here. As much as I would love to continue this."

"I know." She replied as she straightened out her clothing. An impossibly large smile came to her face and I waited to hear what she was thinking. "So do you want to continue this conversation somewhere more private?"

I didn't say a word, there was nothing I needed to say. Grasping her hand, I pulled her out of her chair as we quickly left the restaurant, both of us anxious for our new beginning.

*~*~*~*~*  
Someone like you makes it  
All worth while  
Someone like you keeps  
Me satisfied. Someone exactly  
Like you.

*~*~*~*~*

Author's notes part 2: 

A 419A is, according to the list of Las Vegas police codes on the official CSI website; , a drowned person.

This is the website for Pamplemousse, a real restaurant in Las Vegas, where I set a large portion of this story.

*~*~*~*~*

Finis 


End file.
